Synopsis
Centuries ago, a gargoyle is shot down by a priest and sealed in the ground. In present-dayRomania, an earthquake breaks the seal and unleashes a host of monsters on Bucharest. CIAoperative Michael Paré is investigating what at first appears to be a series of kidnappings, buteventually finds himself up against the mythical beasts.
The dialogue consists of cobbled-together clichés (and bargain-basement ones at that), andthe plot makes no sense. The Romanian setting i… a dead giveaway of the film’s tiny budget, butat least Bucharest isn’t pretending to be New York. The gargoyles themselves are hardlypersuasive, but there are plenty of them, and for undemanding monster fans, that’ssomething.
Audio
The sound is workmanlike, but not hugely impressive, even if available in both 5.1 and 2.0.The rear speakers are nowhere near as active as they could be, even when it comes to the music.Some of the gunshots and explosions, however, have a good, big surround presence. There is nobuzz on the dialogue.
Video
So many of these cheap releases are fullscreen, that this one gets points for its anamorphicwidescreen presentation. Though the picture can get a bit murky, the colours are generally good,and the blacks are very strong. The image isn’t as sharp as it might be, however, and there issome visible grain and pixellation.
Special Features
Trailers for a raft of horror films, and that’s that. The menu is basic.
Closing Thoughts
Barely passable monster fare. Bug how good could anything staring Michael Paré reallybe?
Special Features List
- Trailers
